Improvement in vibrating propellers for vessels



D. FRASER. `.Vibrating Propelle rs for Vessels.

yuPaten'ceduec. 9,1873.

tgl

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. FRASER, OF BIGTOU, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN VIBRATING PROPELLERS FOR VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,342, dated Dtcemter 9, 1873; application filed August 31, 1872.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs D. FRASER, of

` Picton, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Propelling Boats, of which the following is a specification:

My invention is an improvement in the class of propellers formed of paddles or buckets hinged to horizontal shafts or arms, which vibrate on a vertical axis. The improvement relates to the inner adjustment of the paddleshaft, and the combination of parts for causing it to reverse its action, as hereinafter described.

Figure l is a plan of the bottom of a boat with my improved propelling apparatus. Fig. 2 is a top view. Fig. 3. is a plan of the propeller and a section of the vertical shaft, the section being taken on the line z z of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the vertical shaft, extending from inside down through the bottom, and stepped in a suitable bearing at the bottom of the keel. Below the bottom of the boat this shaft-..carries two arms,D, extending from opposite ysides nearly the width ofthe bottom of the boat, said arms being, by preference, a single shaft, passing directly through shaft C. E represents the buckets,

which are hinged upon these arms D, as shown,

to swing freely between the short secondary arms F, projecting laterally from arms D in two sets at right angles to each other, so that the said buckets E are only swung a quarter of a revolution. The arms D are capable of being' rotated or turned a quarter of a revolution, and are geared, by apiuion, Gr, inside of shaft C, with a pair of toothed racks, H, or it may be chains with rods extending down from above through stufling-boxes I, and having screw-nuts K at the top for working vthem to turn said arms, said nuts being geared together and connected to any suitable contrivance for turning them. Any suitable number of these crank-shafts and propellers will be used in a boat, being arranged at intervals throughout her length, and the power may be connected to them, as represented in Fig. 2, or in. any other approved way.

It will be seen that, when the arms D are so adjusted that one set ofthe secondary arms F project aft, the boat will be propelled forward, because the other arms F will extend ver tically below arms D, and hold the buckets so as to act on the water when the arm D swings aft, while the other arm E, projecting forward, will allow the buckets to turn up edgewise when swinging forward, so as not to take the water; and the said arms being adjusted to the opposite position will, ofcourse, reverse the motion of the boat. j

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patshown and described, to operate as and forv the purpose specified.

JAMES D. FRASER.

Witnesses C. H. BUNKER, SETE B. BUNKEE. 

